Testing equipment

Recently purchased 29biocube. Using all dry rock, wil get it curing today. Planning on keeping soft/lps. Iím looking for recommendations on testing equipment all I have so far is a refractomoter. Have been looking at Hanna phosphate tester to check progression of dry rock cure. Necessary? Would also like to know what else you guys are using. Thank you

I was in your shoes just over a year ago when I started.
Since you just started I would stick with testing ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates at first. This will tell you when the cycle is complete. Get the cheapest kits you can find for ammonia and nitrites. Nitrates are more important but you want it when cycling. Then you want to watch the other levels like Alk, Ca, PO4, and nitrates. I check Mg once every few weeks.

I would start off with Salifert kits as well because they are cheaper and still accurate. The components are nicer on the Red Sea but I have trouble seeing the slight changes in all the color kits. So I rely heavily on my Hanna Alk and P04 testers. They are more expensive but I test my alk every 3 days or so and it is fast with the hanna. I use red sea for Ca, Mg, and Nitrates simply because it was the first kit I bought and I just keep buying refills.

Make sure you watch the expire dates on any liquid test kits you buy. Most I buy online expire in over a year but on store shelves they might sit. Oh and I have had ZERO luck using the hanna Calcium tester so cannot recommend that to anyone.

I would absolutely recommend salifert for Alk and Mg. For calcium, I use API. I've cross-referenced it twice against a Triton test and it's within +\- 10ppm. Close enough for me. Also, I use a Hannah for Alk these days. It's consistent with other test kits, and gives a nice digital readout. My wife can test for me when I'm out of town for work.

For phosphates, a Hannah is the gold standard. You will need this when making sure there aren't any phosphates bound in the rock. Dry rock sometimes has phosphates bound up in it, and will start leeching out into the water, if there are phosphates bound in the rock. If you see your phosphates going through the roof, then you'll have to take steps to remove it

I agree with the Hanna phosphate checker and the nitrate checker. I have a hard time with the color compare so getting a number means more to me.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I use salifert for nitrates. The color change is dramatic enough for me, so I just use that one. Does the Hannah nitrate checker use a liquid or powder reagent? The only thing I don't like about their phosphate checker is that it uses powder.

I use salifert for nitrates. The color change is dramatic enough for me, so I just use that one. Does the Hannah nitrate checker use a liquid or powder reagent? The only thing I don't like about their phosphate checker is that it uses powder.